Torace water heater



UNrrED STATESI PATENT OFFICE.

@WIN RUUD, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO RUUD MANUFAC- STORAGE WATER-HEATER.

, Mikhail I0. 853,738, dated May 14, 1907, Serial No. 266,909,'1ed June 26, 1905.

Specification of Reissued Letters Patent. Reissued June 28, 1921.

issue led May 12, 1921. Serial No. 468,945.

T o all 'whom it ma] concern 4 Be it known that Enwi'N RUUD, a citizen of the United States of America, and a residentof Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Storage Water-Heaters, which invention is ullsly set forth in the following specification.

y invention relates 'to water heaters of the storage type, in which the heated water is supplied to a storage reservoir and held therein for delivery as desired.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the loss of heat due to the draft of the chimney 'when the heater is not required to be in operation, shall be effectively eliminated.

In all automatic storage `water heaters known .in the art prior to my invention, so far as my knowledge andinformation extend, a predetermined temperature has been maintainedin the heating coil or boiler, independent of that of the volume of water which may be contained in the reservoir with which the heating appliance proper is connected. The air drawn through the casing of the heater, which passes up the chimney, absorbs a certain amount of heat, and this heat loss is, under my invention, minimized.

My invention, generally stated, consist-s in the combination,` with a heating appliance `anda hot Water storage reservoir. of a thermostatic regulator connected with the storage reservoir, and a-valve operated thereby and adapted to instantly fully open, or 'completely close, as the case may be, the supply of gas to the heater, the operation of said regulator and valve being such as to provide s full flow of gas4 which works the heater at its mllimllm capacity in heating water, untilthe" storage reservoir is filled with hot water, whereupon the supply of gas to the heating-surfaces is automatically and entirely cut oil", except as to a small pilot light which does not exert any substantial heating action. The heating appliance being located at a lower level than thc storage reservoir, the circulation ,of water promptly ceases, by reason of the fact that the coldest Water is the heaviest and remains quiescent in the heating appliance, sothat the air which passes up the chimney comes 'in confta-ct merely with cold surfaces in the. hcat-,

ing appliance.

on an enlarged plied in a storage water heater system com-4 prising a water heater, 1, a hot water storage tank or reservoir, 2, .water supply and connection pipes, 3, 4, and 5, and gas su ply pipes, 6 and 7, all of which are'of su stantially the ordinary construction and arrangement. Thc heating appliance proper consists of acoil, l, located in a casing or jacket, 1", and heated by burners, 1, to which gas .is supplied by the pipe, 6, the products of combustion being carried oil' through an exit flue or stack', 11. A small pilot burner, 1, which is supplied with gas by the. pipe, 7, is kept constantly lighted, for the purpose of igniting gasl at the main burners, 1, as, from time to time required. lVater is supplied to the heating coil by the pipe, 3, and circulated through the coil and storage reservoir by the pipes 4 and 5 in the usual manner.'

In the practice of my invention, I pro-` vide, in connection with the storage tank, 2, a suitable` thermostat-ic regulator, and connect it` through operating mechanism presently to `be described, with a controlling valve, 8, by means of which the supply of gas is fully opened to, or entirely cut oil"V from the burners for the hot water storage tank, accordingly as the circumstances of use may require the heating appliance to be operative or to be inoperative without waste Application for reof heat, as the case may be. In the instance 4 shown', the thermostatic regulator consists of a metal tube, 9, which is inserted in the hot water storage tank, 2, and a rod, 10, of metal having a lesser degree of expansibility than the tube, 9, said rod being inserted in and projecting outwardly from the tube, through an opening in a supporting frame, ll, fixed to the reservoir, 2. The controlling valve..8, is fitted to seat in a valve chamber or casing, l2, interposed between adjoining sections ot the gas supply pipe, 6, and supported on the frame, l1, and 1s aca' lever. 13, which is pivoted to a bracket on the franw, 11, and 1s malntamed in contact with the rod by a spring, 14, so that the lever, 13. shall be moved 'outwardly by lthe rod,

cn A

, age reservoir, 2, begins to fall, the u l0, and inwardly by the spring 14. The free end of the lever, VA13, movable to abut against one or the other of two pins, 15, 16, fixed upon a level', 17, which is pivoted to a bracket on the frame, 1.1, above the lever, 13, and is coupled, by a spring, 18, to a bracket on the frame, the spring being inclined relatively to the lever, so as to act with leverage on the lever, 17, and throw it, `when moved by the lever, 13, to the extremities of its admitted ivotal traverse; The free end of the 1ever,.l is forked to embrace the steni, 19, of the controlling valve, and traverses ybetween sto s 20V and 21, which are in the form of nuts Jak' yjust-able on screw threads on said stein.

.ln the operation of a storage water heater system in which my invention is applied, when` the temperature in the hot water stori I $9101? the kthermostatic regulator, c i 1- A s and moves the lever, 13, ou frdly.' In its outward traverse, th ne the pin, 16, of r, 17, and in turn moves said lev f outwardly, until its center line fulcrum of the spring, 18, which pon throws it to the outer-'extremity of y`Fits traverse, in which movement it abuts on the outer s 19,521, on the'stemof the controllngyalve, l8, and opens said valve to its ullextent. Gas is thereby admitted, through the full capacity of the pipe v(i, to the main burners, 1C, of the heating appliance, which `are ignited by therpilot burner, 1, and the heatingof the water commences and continued until the storage reservoir has been filled with hot water down to or below the level'of the thermostatic regulator. When y the Water in the reservoir has reached the i predetermlned temperature, the tube, 9, of

the thermostatic regulator expands, the lever,

13., is moved inwardly by the spring, 14, and, ,i

acting on the pin, 15, of the lever, 17,` moves said ylever inwardly. When the lever, 17, passes the fulcrum of the spring, 18, said spring throws the lever to the inner extremity of its traverse, in which movement it abuts on the inner stop, 20, on the stem of the controllingvalve, and yinstantly seats said. valve, thereby completely cutting off the supply of gasto the main burners.` The heating ap.- pliancethen remains entirely inactive until the heat of the water in the storage reservoir has been sufficiently reduced by drawing water therefrom or by radiation, whereupon the operation as above described will be automatically repeated.

13, abats against pletely eliminated, and the economy thus et'- fected renders practicable the utilization of illuminating gas as a heating medium. This,

prior to my invention has been found too expensive by reasonof the former wasterof gas when constant combustion at the main burners is maintained. A further advantage is attained in the prevention of flashing, by reason of the being immediately fully turned onto the burners whenever the heating appliance isrequired to operate.

It willv be obvious that my inventin is not limited to an intermittently operating mechanism "or device which acts directly to fully open and completely close a gas controlling valve in and by the movements of a thermostatic regulator under variations of storage reservoir temperature, inasmuchas the same result may be attained. by the intermediation of an additional device or devices between said operating mechanism and valve, without departure from the spirit` and operative principle of my invention.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent: i, Y

1. In a storage water heater system, the combination of a Waterbeater, a reservoir, connections between the same, a valve to control the supply ot' fuel tosaid heater, a thermostat in said reservoir, a lost-motion con necti on between said. thermostat and valve and means to cause said valve to remain either entirely closed or completely open.

2. In a storage water heater system, the

rcombination of a water-heating receptacle, a

heater therefor, a hot-water-stoli'age reservolr located above said receptacle, pipes connecting the same, a valve to admit fuel to said heater, a thermostat in said reservoir, a lever arranged to beactuated by said thermostat,

a second lever having -a lost-motion connection with said first lever and a lost-motion connection with said valve and a spring tending to hold said second lever in either one `of its extreme positions.

3. In a storage water heater system, the

combination with a heater, a reservoir and i .either of its extreme` positions and a lostmotion connection between said second lever and said valve.

\ 4. ln a storage water heater system, the combination of a heater, a4 reservoir located above said heater and connected. thereto by pipes, a valve to control the supply of fuel to said heater, a thermostat in said reservoir,v a. leverf'having a. lost motion connection with said valve, l spring tending to h'old said lever l in either of its extreme positions and meansl including n lost-motion connection 'whereby said lever is actuated by sai@ thrmotgt when" the water-in said reservoir l rmined limits of temperature.' l l@ 1n testimony whereof I have signed Nk specification.

EnwiN Bunn. 

